


A Talk

by flabbergabst



Series: The Captain Canary Collection [84]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:56:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9540599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flabbergabst/pseuds/flabbergabst
Summary: A series of short fics about anything and everything Sara and Leonard talks about while playing cards during their down time.





	1. Sexuality

**Author's Note:**

> Set after 1x01 Pilot, Part 1

(Set after 1x01 Pilot, Part 1)

 

Sara barged into Leonard’s room with a bag of M&Ms and a deck of cards, which took the anti-hero by surprise. He never bothered to lock his door since he knows that apart from Mick, nobody would dare enter his room.

Well, he was wrong because a seemingly perky assassin just barged in without hesitations.

Without invitation, Sara climbed on the opposite side of the bed from where Leonard is sitting. She began drawing the cards between the two of them, keeping the M&Ms beside her. “So,” she said as she put down her first pair of cards, “who are you, really?”

Leonard seemed fazed by her question. They know each other by names and aliases now but that’s about as far as they’ve shared from one another. They just got back from a really fun bar fight and he isn’t really the most open person in this ship. But then again, neither is she.

Sara started again. “Well I thought that if we’re gonna stay on this ship, might as well get to know the people I’m with, right?”

Leonard took hold of the cards in front of him and began arranging it.

“I’m not exactly the person you would want to get to know, Blondie,” Snart drawled, which made Sara chuckle.

“Which is why you’re playing cards with me?”, she teased.

Leonard glared at her but it didn’t work. She smirked in response instead. “Don’t deny it, Leonard. You wanted to get to know me after I broke that thug’s wrist. Or maybe even earlier than that when I caught you staring at my ass.”

“I’ve got to admit,” he said, “that was impressive, Blondie.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and said, “The fact that I beat up several men all at once or my ass?”

“Definitely both.”

His smugness didn’t, at all, annoy Sara. It amused her. “Calling me ‘Sara’ wouldn’t hurt,” she replied.

He nodded in response and then, they fell into a comfortable silence not long after.

 

Sara was losing their game, being a victim of Leonard’s brilliant ways of cheating. He then asked out of nowhere. “You like girls, then?”

“Excuse me?”, Sara looked at him intently.

Leonard placed down a pair of cards before talking. “You didn’t take notice of any guy at the bar and when that asshole offered you a trip to the parking lot, you said the lady was on ‘your speed’”.

“That’s your basis, Snart? That’s a stupid deduction,” Sara said with a teasing smirk.

He shrugged. “Not my best, I know. I’m just trying to make conversation since watching you lose is getting boring.”

It was an attempt to make Sara pissed but it didn’t piss her off. Instead, she laughed.

“I know you’re cheating, Snart. And to answer your question, yes. I like girls. And boys. What can you say—I love them both,” Sara said innocently which made Leonard let out a soft laugh.

“And it’s not true that I didn’t take notice of any guys at the bar,” she continued. “I **_did_** ask you if you wanna dance with me.”

Leonard responded to the remark with an equally smug smirk. “Stop flirting with me, Sara.”

She smiled, shrugged and went back to the game.

 

A few minutes later, Leonard spoke again. “I thought I was bisexual, too.”

That gained a reaction from Sara. She dropped the cards to the mattress and looked at Snart.

Leonard was also shocked that he himself wanted to talk to Sara more. She’s right. He wanted to get to know her after the bar fight at St. Roch and besides, Mick and himself aren’t going to mix well with the other goody heroes but they can form an alliance with this assassin.

“Wait,” Sara said, “you **thought** you were bisexual? Explain.”

Leonard hesitated but seeing this woman share her sexuality without difficulty made him want to conquer his anxiety and share his’ too.

“Well,” he started, “I didn’t know how to call it before so I stuck with the ‘bisexual’ label. Attracted to both male and female.”

“But?”, she asked.

“But that didn’t seem to cover my sexuality. It didn’t fit. Not fully, at least,” he said, avoiding her stare.

“What do you mean?,” Sara asked.

“I’m pansexual. Sex, gender, none of that matters”, he finally said.

When he felt that Sara’s stare was not as warm as it felt earlier, he looked up at her and saw her eyes glimmer with what seems like as contentment. Or approval.

Neither of them were able to follow up after that.

 

After another game of gin where Sara won for the first time, Leonard grabbed the bag of M&Ms beside her and opened it. “So,” he said, “enough interviewing me. You’re next.”

Sara got nervous but since they’ve already started sharing (and only god knows why), she decided it was only fair to be up for more storytelling.

“Shoot,” she responded.

“What do you look for in a partner—lover—whatever it is you want to call it? What’s your type?”

The question had a potential of becoming awkward, but it didn’t feel like it when Leonard’s the one asking. Sara had to think about her answer for a while but as she grabbed a handful of M&Ms, she started talking.

“It’s quite different for both sexes, actually,” she said as she munched on the chocolate. She continued. “I’m drawn to bad boys, especially when I know I can be at par with their antics. I can handle them just easily.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Leonard replies, but Sara ignored his comment.

“For girls, I don’t know, but my ex is just as badass as me. She’s also an assassin. But in general, I guess I can see myself with someone who knows their priorities. Family should always come first. I see myself with someone cunning, controlled. God knows the last thing I need is a mess.”

Leonard just nodded at that. Too bad for him, he’s not getting away that easily.

“How about you, Captain Cold?”. Sara said with a knowing smirk.

Leonard stole the M&M bag from Sara’s hands. “Not that I’m looking for anyone,” he said, “but I’m attracted to people who can at least catch up with my intellect.”

“Arrogant ass.”

He can’t help but laugh at her reaction. He continued. “That, and enough spunk to be able to shut me up and take me down if needed.”

“Maybe you’ll find someone while we’re travelling to save the world, Snart.”

“I doubt that,” he coldly responded.

Sara smiled and answered back, “Oh, keep that sparkling personality of yours and you’ll truly find the person for you,” she said sarcastically.

In an equally teasing tone, Leonard replied, “You know what? Maybe I will. Maybe it’s you, Sara.”

“Keep dreaming,” she said reaching out to take back the bag of M&Ms from him.

As much as they want to continue this little bantering of theirs, they were interrupted by the artificial intelligence introduced to them as Gideon, asking them to come to the bridge as per requested by their captain.

Fortunately for them, this isn’t the last time they’ll be talking.


	2. Ethnicity

**(Set after 1x02 Pilot, Part 2)**

The crew just got back from 1975 Norway and got changed from their outfits when Leonard saw Sara on the mess hall and laid out the cards in front of her, ignoring both Ray and Carter.

Sara shook her head and Snart assumed that she wasn’t in the mood. He nodded once, put the card back on the box, and grabbed the cup of coffee he asked Gideon to make for him. He walked towards the door, beginning to leave, when Sara called him out.

“Snart,” Sara said, looking up from the tea she’s drinking.

Leonard didn’t look back but just waited till Sara continues.

“Cargo hold in five.”

The man, with the back still turned from them, just nodded and went his way, leaving the two men confused.

—

“So, Arab on your mother’s side?” Sara jokingly said as Leonard got their cards out of the box.

The two of them are in the cargo hold, both leaning on the crates that lay sloppily and unarranged on the floor.

“No, actually,” Leonard answered, tossing cards alternately between them. ”My mother is African American.”

He then turned his eyes to Sara, whose emotion on her face was untainted, save for the slight surprise and amusement. An eyebrow was raised but no words came out of her mouth.

“You’re shocked,” Leonard flatly said, drawing his attention back to the cards.

Sara inhaled and said, “I had no idea.”

The cards were distributed and both of them looked at their own. Sara’s foot nudged Leonard’s to remind him that she knows he’s going to cheat—might as well not continue it.

"That’s alright. Mick though I was kidding when I first told him. How about you? White girl through and through?,” Leonard asked teasingly, convincing himself that it’s a form of distraction and not because he wants to know more about the assassin.

Sara, from her peripheral view, noticed Leonard take a card out of his sleeve. Sara nudged him again and flicked the extra cards to his face, making him smirk.

She placed down a pair of cards and smirked at him. “Did the blonde hair and blue eyes give it away?” she asked sarcastically.

The two of them just stared at each other for a full minute, eyes both challenging the other. They both have a lot in common but most recently, they both individually realized that of all the people in the ship, they found each other to be the most mysterious and the most interesting.

They’ll be spending a lot of time together, maybe as a group. Maybe just the two of them.

They have a lot of time uncovering the mystery that is themselves.


	3. Fate

**(Set after 1x03 Blood Ties )**

“You did what?” Sara almost yelled and crumpled the cards on her hands.

Leonard shrugged and took a card from the stash. “I forced the kid to drop me off at Central City, a few days before my old man was planning to steal an emerald. The same reason he got into Iron Height. The reason I never looked at that man again as my father, and not because he went into prison—but because he even went out of it.”

Sara raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the unopened bottle of whiskey between them. “And seeing that this bottle is out, I’m guessing something went unexpectedly?”

“I thought things would change,” he said softly. “But he still got caught trying to sell the damn thing to a police officer. What kind of idiot would let that happen?”

“A bad thief. It’s a good thing you didn’t get that from him.”

“I’m smart. Cautious.”        

“I know,” Sara replied admittedly.

* * *

 

It took Leonard a few minutes to speak again between the alternate laying down of their cards. “Maybe it’s karma. Maybe my life isn’t supposed to change at all.”

“You don’t know that,” Sara immediately replied, turning her cards face-down and finally opening the bottle they kept close for almost an hour now.  “Isn’t that why we’re here?...here, take a drink…to change our fate? For better or worse?”

Leonard freely took two big gulps of the liquor she handed him, not minding the sting it gave. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and handed the bottle to Sara’s extended hand. “I’m about to win, Canary. Keep up.”

Sara ignored Snart’s attempt to discontinue the conversation and proceeded to open up more. “You know what I would change if I had the chance?”

“Coming in this ship?” Leonard asked playfully.

“No,” Sara replied with a smirk. “I’m actually not regretting accepting the mission—not yet. But I have lots of things to change. For starters, I wouldn’t sleep with my sister’s boyfriend.”

Sara paused to look at Snart’s reaction. When she looked up from her cards, he was staring at her. His gaze held no judgment, but curiosity. “Now I need context.”

Seeing as the two of them won’t be judging each other’s pasts, Sara felt free to tell him her life. If this mission kills her (for real, this time), might as well have someone who knows her and her story—not just her being the resident killer.

“I’m the youngest and naturally, a brat. Laurel has always been the perfect daughter, you know? The smart one, the pretty one. So the moment Starling City’s billionaire playboy took notice of me, I jumped in. Ignoring the fact that he’s with my sister. Ignoring the fact that she is very much in love with him while I was just with him just for the hell of it,” Sara said without hesitation, confident with her story.

“You were with Oliver Queen?” Leonard drawled. “Well I would change that part of my life, too, if I had the chance.”

His diss at the Green Arrow earned him a hearty laugh from the woman in front of him.

“I would do everything to see the two of you meet,” Sara said, taking the card she saw up Leonard’s sleeve. “And you’re only close to winning because you’re cheating.”

Leonard shrugged and laid down his winning streak anyways. “I could’ve won three turns ago. I was just waiting how long it would take you to notice. Besides, I feel like there’s more to the story. I mean, I watch the news. I know what happened to that prick. But I’d rather you tell me.”

Sara silently gathered the discarded cards and the ones they are holding. “He invited me to join him and his father in a sail. And it all went downhill from that. The yacht sank and we were both presumed dead. But in fact, I was just left floating for a couple of days till a freighter saved me. Well, ‘saved’ is one word for it. After that chapter of my life, I got into the League. Then I died and now I’m on a futuristic time-ship.”

“And if given the chance, you’d choose to change the thing that brought you here?” Leonard asked, pausing to let her answer.

“Sometimes I just can’t help it but think about what my life could be if I just said no to Ollie and went to college just like what my parents dreamt for me.”

Snart smirked and took the cards from her, shuffling them. “Your life would be ridiculously boring and I would never, in a million years, turn my head to look at you.”

He looked up and saw Sara looking straight at him, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly and pouting. “You sure about that, Len?”

“Well, maybe not in the way I look at you now.”

“Why? How do you look at me?”

“Like you have many regrets in life but you’d always choose to live by them and end up not regretting it at all.”

Sara smiled at his honesty and sincerity. Len continued dealing the cards between them.

“Would you want to change your decision of coming onboard and saving the future?” Sara quietly asked him after a while.

“Not anymore.”


	4. Limits

**(Set after 1x04 White Knights)**

 

“So you mean to say you got a kiss out there while I was stuck here training Kendra?”

Leonard is on the floor of Sara’s room, playing solitaire. He just came from a fiery conversation with Rip about leaving Mick behind and the team is taking their sweet time recharging and resting before they rescue three of their teammates.

“Yes,” Snart answered Sara flatly. “You jealous?”

Sara chuckled and finally hopped off her bed to join Leonard on the floor.  “Jealous that you got a kiss from a hot chick and I don’t.”

“You could always kiss me, Lance.”

“You gotta try harder than that, Snart.”

Sara pointed a card to Leonard to help him with his game.

“I saw that,” Leonard defended as he placed the card where she pointed it.

“Yeah, sure. Because you’re totally not distracted,” Sara sarcastically said.

 

When Leonard failed to answer, Sara bumped his shoulder with hers. “We’re gonna get Mick back. Enough with that pissed-off face.”

With the mention of his partner’s name, Len dropped the game altogether and gathered all of the cards, shuffled it twice, and placed it back to its box. “That’s not why I’m pissed off. It’s Hunter.”

“Okay,” Sara replied. “I get why you don’t like him. Both of are you bossy pricks, that’s why you clash. But what exactly did he do now?”

“I’m a liar and a criminal, Sara. I hurt people and I rob them. But there’s no way I’m leaving a part of my crew behind, especially when I’m the one that brought them together,” Snart coldly replied. “He may be doing this whole shindig for the greater good, but I’m not aboard on how we’re expendables for him.”

“You have a code. I respect you for that,” Sara replied, neither of them looking at each other. “But sometimes you need to do what needs to be done.”

“You agree with this?” Leonard asked and turned his gaze sharply at her. “So if Hunter told you to just leave me to rot in a Russian gulag, you’d just shut up and follow him blindly? Well, I shouldn’t judge you. Maybe that’s how you’re trained in your silly little League of Assassins.”

Leonard left the cards on the floor and swiftly stood up and walked out of Sara’s room.

Sara was left inside with an aching feeling in her chest.

The crook’s words echoed in her brain. She seems to forget when she started not caring and continuing on being an order-driven robot. Was it when Ivo took her in for her survival? Was it when Ra’s al Ghul told her she now belongs in the League? Was it during the one year that she was dead, or was it after, when she was battling the bloodlust—the bloodlust she still has now.

“Being a killer stripped me off of my humanity,” Sara softly said to herself, reminding herself of the look Leonard gave her before he left.

He’s the only person in this ship who thinks of her as a normal human being. He’s the only one that doesn’t judge her for what she did before coming aboard this ship.

 

Without thinking, Sara stormed out of her room in search for Leonard. Maybe to explain. Maybe to defend herself. She wasn’t sure. All she knows is that she needs to talk to him.

She first went to the cargo hold, wishing that he’s there cleaning or repairing his gun. When she found it empty, Sara went straight to his room. Knowing he doesn’t lock it, she just asked Gideon to open it for her.

There she found Snart sitting on his bed, hands fidgeting.

“I didn’t mean to storm off like that,” he said without looking up.

Sara was prepared about what to say but it all went away when he spoke. He’s the one apologizing. She was being insensitive about the impending of this man’s partner of many years. It is true, she received sharp words from him but she deserved it.

“I should be the one apologizing, Snart. I meant what I said. I’d do what it takes to get a job done. And I’d put it as part of my job to rescue Stein and Ray, and of course Mick,” Sara said, sitting down on the floor like how Leonard positioned himself a few minutes ago in her room. “You butting heads with Rip isn’t pretty, but you butting heads with me would be catastrophic. Truce?”

“Only if you beat me in gin.”

“Deal. The cards are in my room. I’ll go get it,” Sara said, standing to make her way out.

Leonard grabbed her wrist instead to stop her. “No need. I have an extra pack.”


	5. Bad Guys

**(set after 1x05 Fail-Safe)**

 

“Thank you for stopping me,” Sara said, her breath smelling like strong liquor and a losing hand of cards on her lap, open for Leonard to see. “You’re not such a bad guy after all.”

Both of them are tipsy and neither cared about the other seeing their cards. Leonard blatantly cheats, and his opponent not caring. They just got back from Russia and whatever connection they had during the first few days on the Waverider was solidified by what had transpired earlier that night. Leonard stopped Sara from going back to being a killer.

“Oh, I am a bad guy,” Snart said to defend his honor. “I’m the only non-metahuman to ever became the Flash’s nemesis.”

Sara scoffed unappeased. “And that’s evil enough for you? The League of Assassins makes the Special Forces look like a kindergarten class.”

Leonard leaned on the headboard of Sara’s bed, propping his legs on the sheets. “My stealth can make me ninja-worthy. I stole gems and diamonds and paintings you could only imagine.”

“You know, I shoplifted when I was a teenager. I had to be brought to my dad’s precinct.”

Leonard dropped a pair of cards and smirked. “A girl after my own heart.”

Sara laughed at his remark. “I did it because it’s a bet. Not counted. Remove _thief_ from my murderous resumé.”

“Well, add _killer_ to mine, then,” Leonard responded. “I killed the guy who gave me my Cold Gun.”

“Really now, Leonard? This is a competition?” Sara replied sarcastically, dropping her cards since the game has long been disregarded. “I slit a diplomat’s throat and left the body for his wife and son to see.”

“I killed my father.”

Sara looked up to him. Leonard was expecting disgust, or second-hand shame to come from the assassin’s face, but all he saw was a curiosity-filled bright blue eyes.

He sighed. “A story for another time. When we’re more drunk.”

 

The two went silent. Sara picked up the cards again and dropped two Kings that she’s been saving for three rounds now.

“I almost killed Stein,” the woman whispered as soon as Leonard picked up a card from the stash.

“But then you didn’t. I talked you out of it, remember?”

 

Leonard and Sara exchanged a look. Neither of them was able to break the stare. The two had so much to say, but were afraid of the consequences.

Finally, it was Sara who looked down and broke the stare.

“We’re not good people, are we?” she asked, head still down.

“Far from good,” Leonard said, his voice void of the drawl and the theatrics.

“Hey,” Sara said, “do you think this mission could change that?”

“I doubt it.”

“How about we try?”

Leonard looked at her once more. Her blonde hair tied up, allowing him a look at her bare shoulders. She looked so delicate and young. It was her eyes that are old. It’s like it has seen a lot for a lifetime. She could be so much more, Leonard thought.

 

But that wasn’t what he said. 

“It’s impossible for me,” he replied, “but for you, it’s possible, still.”

“I hope.”

Never comfortable with feelings, Leonard picked up the mood. “If that happens, you’ll be the first hero I wouldn’t want to ice.”

“I think ‘hero’ is going too far, but I think I’d like that.”

“Being a hero or me tolerating you?”

“Being tolerated by Captain Cold, certainly.”

 


	6. Fire and Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x06 Star City 2046

“Drink?”

Leonard looked up only to see Sara holding two mugs of coffee. He’s seated on the floor of the bridge, his back leaning on one of the Waverider seats and his hands preoccupied with the cards he’s shuffling.

“I don’t think I have a choice. You already have two in hand,” Leonard said, reaching for one mug. “Thanks.”

Sara sighed and sat across him. She took a sip of coffee and placed the mug between her legs. She nodded towards the cards he’s holding and said, “Wanna play?”

“Not really in the mood. Maybe later.”

Leonard continued fidgeting. Deep inside, he’s feeling kind of uneasy with Sara not saying anything and just staring at his hands as he shuffled the cards. He’s been running lines in his head to say to her to break the silence between them. It’s not like that they need to fill the silence, but a part of him is anxious that she might ask about what went down between him and Mick. The argument they had after returning from Star City 2046 wasn’t, in any way, subtle either.

He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to see that Sara is finished with her mug of coffee and is currently reaching out to take his mug. The time he finally chose an opening question, he noticed that the very mug she brought him was gone from where he placed it and is currently being nursed between Sara’s hands.

“I believe you brought that for me,” Leonard said, taking the mug back.

Sara shrugged in response. “You’re right. **I** brought it.”

Leonard just sighed—the question in his mind completely forgotten.

“So you and Mick had time between us leaving you on the field and you finding us on that building,” Sara finally started. Upon hearing Leonard sigh, she continued. “Then you knocked him out and the next thing I know, you’re screaming at each other as he slammed his door at you.”

“You’re not wrong,” Leonard replied, eyes not meeting hers.

Sara kicked his boot. “So?”

“You just saw your city get destroyed by criminals and every hero either away or dead and you want to know the latest gossip between the criminals in this ship?” Leonard asked with a raised eyebrow. A smirk playing on the corner of his mouth to tease her.

Sara scoffed. “We’re going to finish the mission and I’m gonna be in Star City to make sure none of that happens. Problem solved. Now, spill.”

“Conflict of interest,” Leonard said as a short reply. “Not really in the mood to elaborate, Lance. Maybe next time.”

Sara nodded and stayed silent, waiting for him to either talk first or walk away from the conversation altogether.

Leonard started dealing the cards between them because—of course—if there’s none left to say, playing cards will always be the next best thing. He doesn’t really want to be left alone to think about Mick either.

A game of gin started between them without having to say a word. Stein walked in on them playing and said nothing. Jax did, too, and tried to start a conversation but a glare from Sara signaled that he should leave the two alone. For now, at least.

“You two have one of the best partnerships I know, to be honest,” Sara said first, not really taking the game seriously. “I mean, I haven’t known you two that long but I drank with you two. Fought with you. You guys move in sync. Your guns never cross streams even though you both manage to shoot literally in every direction. I’ve never had a partner like that who just knows me by intuition.”

Leonard took a deep breath and just absorbed what she said. “Your point is?”

Sara smiled in response, “You and Mick are different. He’s fire–hot-headed and a force of nature, and he acts by instinct. You, on the other hand, are ice cold. And you know it.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Cold and calculating,” Sara immediately followed up. “Careful and dangerous. Smart. Deadly, if you want.”

Snart hid a small smile. “Now you’re just flirting with me. Get to your point.”

Sara tried to hide the fact that she’s blushing. She cleared her throat and looked at her cards.

“Your difference is what makes your partnership work,” Sara continued. “You keep each other in check. You balance each other out. Whenever you doubt doing something, Mick would start it for you so you won’t hesitate to follow through. And when Mick gets all fired up, you cool him down to minimize whatever damage it’ll cost. Now, you won’t tell me what happened but I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to make it right. That, or you both could keep your prides and egos high and out-do each other for the title of Baddest Anti-Hero Ever.”

And with that final sentence, Sara winked at him, dropped her cards, took their mugs and left Leonard to think about what she said. It’s not like she’s expecting him to really fix his issue with Mick but she wants the rogues back to their usual evil self again, and not moping around like kids.

Leonard looked at Sara as she exits the bridge on her way to the mess hall. He watched as her wavy blonde her swayed with her hips. The back of her shirt was lifted slightly, allowing him to see a peek of her skin between the shirt and the waistband of her pants. He swallowed to get rid of the lump in his throat.

He’s always been attracted to Sara—not that he’d admit it to her. It’s not even about her looks, although that’s an entirely different topic. Leonard knows he’s ice, like she said. And he also knows his coldness has always been attracted to fire.

At 14, his ice and Mick’s fire got drawn together. He’s one to detach himself to others easily but he was drawn to the idea of survival that goes along with Mick’s fire. And for the longest time, he’s been trying to repay that warmth he received.

And of course, Lisa Snart is fire. His sister has always been fire. Always running, always giddy. Even as a kid, Lisa’s always been the one to remind Leonard that he doesn’t need to be cold all the time. That even a man like him needs love from his sister. That’s one thing he can’t deny Lisa. He can’t deny his sister of the love they weren’t able to get from anyone else.

 Sara Lance is another kind of fire. Passionate and driven. And if Mick and Lisa’s fire attracted him, Sara’s flame engulfs him. For some unexplainable reason, he’s willing to risk getting burnt.

“Stop thinking about her, Snart,” Leonard whispered to himself as he picks up the cards and fidgets with them again. “She’s trouble. She’s a set-back. She’s…goddamnit, where is she?”

Leonard stood up and headed to where Sara went, already thinking of a reason to annoy her again. To talk to her and spend time with her again. He doesn’t want his mind filled with thoughts of the fire of his partner’s anger. He’ll fill it with Sara Lance instead.


	7. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x07 Marooned

 

“Let me see,” Leonard said, throwing the box of cards at Sara’s bed, rousing the blonde from where she was sitting.

She looked up from her gaze at her arm and smirked. “Asking me to get naked, Snart?”

Leonard didn’t respond. He sat down on the edge of her bed and took the first-aid kit from her hands. Sara looked at him, gears turning behind her head. He just got back from his “talk” with Mick. From the looks of the man’s face, Sara could see that he came back to the ship alone.

“Leonard…”

“Show me the arm,” he interrupted, “the one that he burned.”

 

The assassin turned her hurt arm towards the crook. Carefully, the man got the surgical scissors and snipped off the sleeve of Sara’s shirt. Leonard then applied the cooling and healing gel Gideon supplied to the burn on her arm.

She didn’t even flinch. Not a wince, Leonard thought. How much pain has she gone through to not flinch at her own burnt skin?

“Does it still hurt?” he then asked, his hands dropping to gently hold hers.

“Not anymore.”

“What else hurts?”

“Nothing. I’m good, Snart.”

“Are you still cold? From earlier?”

“Len,” she said, squeezing his hand a bit. “Hey, Len. I’m good. I’m okay.”

 

Leonard took a deep breath—his head is obviously not in their conversation—trying his hardest to distract himself by being with Sara and by talking to her. By prioritizing her pain.

But she knows. Of course, she knows.

He’s holding her hand tightly. She doesn’t even think Leonard notices.

His blue eyes are piercing her. Icy blue, so cold that it almost sends a chill down her spine. Almost.

She’s seen him stare at her—but not like this. Not like this when he’s looking at her like she’s going to walk out on him anytime.

 

“You’re not in pain?” he asked again.

Sara shook her head. “Not in pain. But I think you are.”

Leonard refused to answer. He doesn’t think he needs to.

 

“Well, you were the one who came in here. Might as well talk,” Sara softly said, testing the waters. “Or not. We could just play since you brought the cards. Do you want me to get the bottles, or…” 

“Mick’s had my back ever since,” Leonard said, repeating what he told her earlier when they were trapped in the freezing engine room. “We’ve been through too many prison breaks, too many jobs, too many heists.”

Sara moved to sit closer to him until their shoulders were touching, their hands still intertwined. “I know.”

“He betrayed the team,” he continued. “But I betrayed him.”

He was talking softly and his voice was shaking. Sara knows this. She’s used to concealing pain, too.

“You did what you had to,” Sara replied just as softly. “They were going to kill us.”

“I know. But I still betrayed my oldest friend. My brother.”

 

This was getting to heavy for Sara. There’s this weight in her chest from seeing Leonard like this. Captain Cold isn’t supposed to be like this. World-class thief Leonard Snart isn’t supposed to be seen like this. But here they are.

With the lack of something to say, she just rested their joint hands on his knee. Silently saying that she doesn’t know how to help, but she’s there. Just like how he’s there when Sara needed it in Russia.

 

Refusing to deal with all the feelings inside him, Leonard attempted to stand up. “I should head to my room. 

But Sara quickly pulled him back to his seat. “You don’t need to be alone tonight.”

Leonard tugged his hand to free it from her hold but she held on tightly to it. Sara spoke again. “You can get away from me and from the team tomorrow, and the day after that, but not tonight, Leonard. Just sleep here.”

“If you want to sleep with me, Assassin…” Leonard started. Trying to make light of this already heavy conversation.

Sara immediately finished his sentence. “I could just ask. Yeah. Sure. Still, I’m not letting you spend the night alone, Leonard.”

Too tired to argue, he just nodded. Without letting go of his hand, Sara raised the duvet and slipped beneath it, taking Leonard with her.

 

The light is dimmed and their hands are still together. Both are breathing deeply and if one or both of them shed tears that night, no one talked about it.

 

Leonard woke up the morning after alone in the assassin’s bed. Her scent is still on the pillows. On the bedside table were a cup of coffee and the box of cards he brought in last night with a note underneath it that read:  _“Not in a rush to play Gin. Take your time.”_

There were no card games that night. No card games the morning after. Days and missions would pass without card games. Not that Sara complained. She told him to take his time anyways.

 

Little did she know that she had to wait for two years for that game of gin.


	8. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x08 Night of the Hawk

Chronos, the bounty-hunter they’ve been trying to get rid off from the very beginning of this godforsaken mission, took him.

Him, of all people.

Not Rip Hunter, the runaway Time Master. Not Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson, the burning men.

But him. Leonard Snart. The Flash’s greatest nemesis, master strategist, and one hell of a thief.

He was dragged and handcuffed to the steel bar handle of the bounty-hunter’s ship. It’s smaller than the Waverider. More efficient for flying and chasing on-the-run time travelers such as them.

Leonard kept on taunting Chronos, trying to get a rouse out of him. Any emotion. Any retort. Any sign of annoyance and irritation from the bounty hunter. But none of that showed. His mind thought of the possible reasons why this hunter took him and left the rest of the team.

Well, the rest of the team who were in the Waverider. The fact that three of them were left behind in the past never left his mind. At the thought of the lovebirds and Sara being abandoned by the ship, he felt the weight of the box of cards at the inside pocket of his jacket.

He was waiting for Sara. Of course he was. When was he ever not waiting for her.

It was two weeks ago when he slept at her room. When she held his hand as he slept. During those times, they haven’t played a single game. They focused on talking. On their inside jokes. On their flirty banters that are making the rest of the team uncomfortable.

Leonard was just waiting for her to come back and give her her cards. To tell her that things are getting better. That he’s feeling better, thanks to her. (The second part, he might have to leave out of what he’ll say.) Their game was supposed to tell her, _“Hey. I’m ready. I know you’ve had a hard time checking on me, but I’m okay. Or I will be.”_

But there are no card games. Not today. The box will remain untouched—that is, if Chronos doesn’t take it off of him; if Chronos doesn’t plan to kill him. Sara will stay in the past, without an idea why they had to leave. She’ll be left thinking that they took off and left them on purpose.

Deep inside, Leonard hopes that she knows he’d never let the ship take off without her in it. He hopes she’d be patient enough to wait for them to get back. He hopes Stein, Jax, and Rip has plans to get the other back from the past, and him from the hands of Chronos. He hopes he gets to live through this. To see her.

Then the bounty hunter took off his helmet and faced him.

Mick Rory. His partner and best friend. Angry and hurt and betrayed. Eyes full of rage and fire.

 

Leonard took a deep breath. He then hoped for one last game. To at least tell her that...

To tell her…

Oh, she knows.


	9. Brand New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Set after 1x09 Left Behind)

 

She has to admit, she missed wearing thin clothes.

Sara just changed back into the comfortable clothes she had two years ago but kept the tight braid of her hair. She was the first one to leave the brig after the team’s meeting regarding what they’ll do with Mick.

Mick is alive. Although she knows that Snart never really did kill his partner like the team thought he did, she never expected Mick to become Chronos. She just thought he’d be stuck in the past, somewhere Leonard could find him to come get him back after the mission. But he’s here now. And to the team, there’s no way of getting the old Mick Rory back. To them, he was a lost cause. And if Mick was, then so was she.

After getting familiar with the ship once again, Sara started deciding where to go. One option was the galley, but she’s not really that hungry. Another was to her room, but it felt cold and empty. She was on her way to the cargo hold when she passed the Medbay. She could hear Snart talking to Gideon, telling the AI to hurry up, as if it’ll help him with anything.

She won’t admit it, especially not to him, but it was the thought of playing cards with him that helped Sara get through tough nights. Many nights she just wanted to throw herself in front of another assassin’s sword, but she kept thinking that one day, she’ll be able to play cards with him again and everything will come back to normal. Until two years passed by. The man and the cards never came.

Until now.

She peeked inside the Medbay, creating enough sound for the man in the seat to turn his head towards her.

“Cargo hold. Bring the cards,” she said.

She didn’t even wait for him to respond. She immediately stepped out and looked ahead, her feet bringing her to the one place in the Waverider she’s comfortable at, next to her and Snart’s rooms.

It was after ten minutes that she heard his footsteps nearing the room. With a deep sigh and closed eyes, she waited until she could feel him sitting down in front of her, a little too close than she wanted.

Perhaps this is how he’s always sat in front of her. Perhaps it’s her time with the League that made her uneasy with the little space between them.

“New hand,” Leonard started. “I guess we’ll see if I can still shuffle the cards as effortless as before.”

“As effortless as two years ago?” Sara blurted out without thinking.

“That’s how long it’s been for you?” Leonard answered, shuffling the cards slower than usual. “I’m impressed you aren’t crazy yet, waiting for two years.”

The woman scoffed, taking the deck from him. “I am kinda crazy. I went back to the League.”

“I know.”

Sara distributed the cards between them and they started the game. With her ninja senses still on a high, she saw Leonard hide a card on one sleeve, and another on the waistband of his pants. But she’s not in the mood to call it out. She missed this. The silent game. The tension. The cheating.

It wasn’t until they finish the first round with Leonard winning when Sara spoke again. “So Mick is Chronos.”

“Apparently so,” Leonard hesitantly replied. He shook his head, but continued. “I was right. He did threaten to kill my sister in front of me. Over and over again. That was fun.”

Sara just nodded. She felt the need to lighten up the situation, knowing that what the team is feeling is nothing compared to what the man in front of her feels. With a small smile at the corner of her mouth, she said, “Mick hit Chronos with the car we stole the first time we went to a bar. Remember?”

To her surprise, Leonard let out a soft laughter. “How can I forget? That might have been the best part of that day. Well, the second. Watching you beat up those thugs was definitely the first.”

“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to flirt with a newly-released assassin, Leonard?” Sara teased.

“Well that’s not you anymore, right?” Leonard replied, setting down a pair of cards. “You said it yourself. Newly-released.”

Sara sighed and the weight of what she’s feeling made her shoulder drop. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

Leonard knew he was sailing through unchartered waters with Sara. But a part of him knew that she needed to be reminded that she is who she was two years ago. For her, at least.

“Do you remember when we first woke up on a rooftop?” Leonard said as his hand gradually comes near hers. “Do you remember waking up with a headache and beside you are a bunch of people you don’t know?”

“Not as detailed as how you described it, but I do.”

Leonard continued. “I was watching everyone of you. And you, Sara, are interesting to read. Because that’s the thing. Boyscout and the Brit, I can read easily, just like the others. But I can’t do that with you. It’s as if I have to unlock a hundred doors to get a good read off of you. Fortunately, that’s what I do best—breaking locks.”

“Where are you going with this?” Sara asked, bravely taking his hand even despite knowing the fact that he’s hesitating.

“Our first night in this ship, you barged in my room with cards and booze on your hands. That became our thing, deny it or not. Then came in the stories of our lives, the shit we’ve been through, the secrets we share to each other only after pretending to be too drunk to remember it the next day. But we both know we’ve never been drunk in front each other. Then the locks began to fall,” Leonard said, slowly, trying to get something off of Sara’s body language telling him to stop. But there’s nothing.

He continued.

“Some somewhere between the cards and the beer and the stories, both our walls dropped. The doors you built around yourself opened, just like mine did. And I saw you. Not the assassin. Not the woman who came back from the dead. I just saw you, Lance.”

“Like how I’ve seen you?” Sara replied.

“Like how I made myself be seen by you,” Snart immediately answered, hesitation void from the tone of his voice. “Because despite being the scariest out of all the people inside this tin can, and that’s saying because we have burning men inside this ship, you have the most understanding eyes. The most gentle hands.”

Sara shook her head, only to be stopped by the man in front of him.

“The last time I saw you was yesterday and I know that the last time you saw me was two years ago. I get that. But you’re still you. You still have understanding eyes, and gentle hands,” Leonard said as he squeezed her hand. “You went back to the League, went back to killing, went back to doing the thing you loathed doing but here you are now. So let me ask you. Are you our Sara again?”

Sara just smiled and let the single tear drop from her eyes. “Tell me again, why weren’t you the one stuck with me in the 1950s? I would’ve lasted longer if you were with me. Maybe I wouldn’t think of coming back to the League.”

With the air cleared with tension but his chest still heavy with all that he told her, not regretting anything, he said, “Two years with only each other? How sure are you that we haven’t killed each other by the time Rip ‘rescues’ us?”

“Well if I kill you, who am I going to play cards with?”

Leonard shrugged. “Anyone in this ship will do.”

Sara shook his head, a small smirk on her face. “Nobody plays cards dirty like you do.”

“So that’s what you like, huh, Assassin? You like it dirty?” Leonard teased, bumping Sara’s leg. This comment made the woman throw her cards at him and laugh.

“Shut up, Leonard!”

 

And they were back. The crook and the assassin. There are a few things they have to talk about. The last two years for Sara. Mick being Chronos. His new hand. The new scars she’s gotten. His endearing words to her earlier. The future.

But none mattered that night. They have the cargo hold to themselves. They have their cards. And they have each other.

And when Sara slipped inside Leonard’s room that night, the man didn’t mind. When his heart skipped a beat after she told him she missed him, Sara didn’t mind.

And yes, both of them are going to deny the cuddles and the kiss pressed at the crown of the woman’s head, but as long as neither of them minded, right?


	10. Hearts and Fists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x10 Progeny

(Set after 1x10 Progeny)

 

“I take it you dealt with it?”

Sara said from the other side of the door to Leonard’s room. The door is closed and she doesn’t want to saunter in and catch him unguarded. She usually does but hearing grunts in the brig and body falling on the floor, it was implied that dealing with Len and his partner’s problem involved beating each other up.

“Are you going to let me in or do I need to say the magic words?” Sara said, knocking on the door this time.

Without getting a response, she tried one last time. If this doesn’t work, she’s going to leave him alone until he’s ready. Not going to be the first time she’ll be waiting for him. Hell, she waited two years before.

Another knock. “I brought cards and ice pack instead of beer.”

With that, she saw the door slide open to see Leonard already holding an ice pack to his right shoulder with a smug smirk on his face.

He gave her a nod signaling her to come in and the door slid close after she does. Sara sat on the chair facing the bed where Snart is sitting and observed the man. Her eyes roamed around his body, looking for other places that might be in pain.

Wordlessly, Sara tossed another ice pack at him. Leonard kept it on his hand until Sara gets up and takes the ice pack back, putting it on the left side of his face. They’ve been staring at each other for a while, testing which one could hold a stare the longest.

Eventually, Leonard just gave in, giving her the answer she needs.

“We don’t have hearts so we let our fists do the talking,” Leonard said, placing the pack he’s holding on the bedside table and taking the one Sara’s holding.

Sara sighed and sat down beside him, taking the cards out the box. “Let me guess. You told him he could go if he kills you?”

“Something like that.”

“Idiot.”

For a moment, Sara began setting the cards for a game of Solitaire. Every once in a while, Leonard would point out a move she missed or a card to be placed where it should be. Eventually, he got rid of the second ice pack and gathered all the cards she laid on his bed.

“Rude,” Sara said with a smirk. “Up for a game now?”

Leonard just nodded as he dealt the cards between them. Two rounds passed before Sara said anything.

“You haven’t thought that through, have you?” she said flatly.

Len shrugged. “I wondered how long it would take until you say something.”

“Seriously, Snart,” Sara continued, “if he killed you and he got out, what would happen to the rest of the team? That would make things a lot worse. Instead of focusing on Savage, we need to get hold of a very angry Mick as well. What’s worse is that you’re dead and you’ll leave us to fend for ourselves.”

He would’ve gloated at that moment with her implication that things would not end well without him, but Sara seemed sincere. She really seemed to think of the repercussion of losing the crew’s master thief. But he’s not about to bring that up. Not right now.

“I knew he wasn’t going to kill me,” Leonard said instead. “Like I’ve told you, we’ve known each other most of our lives. We’ve had rougher arguments. More chances of killing each other, but we never got close to that.”

“You didn’t think that maybe this one would be it?” Sara asked.

Leonard shook his head. “We’re not just partners. Like I’ve said, we don’t have hearts. But if we do, we might call each other brothers.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” the assassin interrupted.”You do have hearts. Deep down your icy exterior, you have a heart. You care deeply for your sister, and you care for Mick. You care for the team, too. Jax, and even Ray.”

Leonard scoffed at the mention of the genius’ name. But he knows she’s right.

Sara continued. “Mick’s got a heart too, under all that angst. He cares for you. He wouldn’t have been so hurt if he didn’t.”

After hearing Leonard sigh deeply, she added, “You may admit it or deny it. I may be wrong. But I see you.”

“I know you do,” Leonard replied. “Just like how I see you. And earlier I saw you under Savage’s knife. You scared me there, Assassin.”

“Aww, you care,” Sara smiled, stealing the card that peeked through his sleeve. “You cheater.”

“As if that’s new.”

“And we both know I could kill him in that position,” she added. “It’s easy for me to twist his hand and drive the knife to his heart and end it right then and there. But there are guns on you and Firestorm. And I saw Rip with kid Hitler. A negotiation is safer.”

He nodded as he clenched his jaw, keeping the memory at the back of his mind.

“Well, here’s to living, then,” Leonard said as he placed his winning card down.

 

-tbc-


	11. Hot Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Set after 1x11 The Magnificent Eight)

“There you are”, Leonard said as he entered the galley. He spotted Sara, still in her Wild West outfit, eating ice cream out of its pint. “Devouring another pint, I see.”

“If you want some, you could just ask. Get a spoon,” Sara said, nodding towards the container of utensils. “And sit down.”

He did exactly that and sat across her, stealing the pint from her hands. “You missed a lot while you and Big Bird were off having your girls-night out. Where have you been?”

Sara took a spoonful of the chocolate chip ice cream they shared. “Mmm, this is really good. And no, we were not braiding each other’s hair while we’re gone. We got horses and followed an old lady who turned out to be Kendra. It’s confusing and there’s really no adventure in it. Just a lot of feelings in her part.”

“I bet it has something to do with her being an immortal goddess who is, unfortunately, bound to forever be with an immortal god, but she's now with Raymond. Am I right so far?” Leonard said after another spoonful.

“Exactly that,” Sara replied. “It makes me feel bad for Ray. I mean, what advantage does he have against Carter who is supposedly Kendra’s one true love?”

Leonard shrugged. “Well, we’re here to change our fates, aren’t we? Maybe for once in the two thousand years that the Hawks have been coming back, this is one lifetime they get to choose their own ending.”

“Aww, you’re rooting for Ray,” Sara teased.

“Just don’t tell him,” he responded.

“I won’t. I’ll help you keep your reputation if you don’t tell anyone I’ve been giving love advices. Now, Jax has filled me in on what happened while we were out on an adventure and I was told I have competition when it comes to being this team’s resident sharpshooter,” Sara said with a playful smirk, not making an effort of even hiding her amusement.

“Threatened, Assassin?”

Sara chuckled. “Threatened? No. Upset that I missed it? Definitely. How did it go?”

“Raymond was being an idiot, again, when a member of the Stillwater gang confronted him. I was on the second floor of the tavern behind Palmer, brooding handsomely, when I heard the commotion,” Leonard started. “The other man was pointing a gun at Raymond and knowing him, he would probably say something that would annoy the Stillwater character so I saved the day and shot the gun off of his hand.”

“You shot the gun?” Sara asked with a grin on her face. Leonard nodded in response.

“Off of his hand?” Another nod in response.

“From afar?” Sara said finally.

“Yes, Sara. I did. Get over it,” Leonard smugly replied, hiding the fact that another smile from her would ultimately make him blush—something he can’t afford her to see.

Both of them now have hands on the pint, scooping ice cream out. Leonard was trying his best not to look at Sara—not to look at how there’s a hint of chocolate ice cream on the corner of her mouth, not to look at the spoon she’s oh-so-temptingly trying to make him take.

The pint was only about half-way empty when Leonard stood up to get water for the both of them. As Leonard stood up, he heard Sara mutter: “I wish I saw that.  I bet that was hot.”

He was lucky his back was towards her. If not, Sara would see the hint of red at the apples of Captain Cold’s cheeks. He got two glasses of water and laid them on the table.

“Maybe we could have a shooting competition sometime,” Sara said, taking the glass of water and gulping some down.

Leonard shrugged. “Boring. How about we make it fun? Strip-shooting? You miss a target, you strip.”

“Sure,” Sara answered as she licked her lips. “I look forward in seeing you stark naked, Snart.”

The two of them looked at each other in a way that if Jax were present, they’d be called out to get a room. Or to just get on with it and kiss. But they were so committed in their flirtatious banter that Leonard missed his mouth that his spoon touched the tip of his nose.

And right there, whatever moment was broken and laughter filled the room.

Later, Sara thought, she’d show him the old Western deck of cards she swiped from the bar fight.

 

-tbc-


	12. Police Brutality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x12 The Last Refuge

Leonard eyed Sara after they returned the members of their family to their respective cities. With a nod and a raise of the box of cards, he led Sara to his room for another session of gin. Both of them were sitting on his floor, feet by each other’s side. They haven’t spoken a word since the game started and none of them had a problem with that.

Still, it wasn’t hard for Sara to notice that he’s been staring at her rather than his cards.

“You got a problem, Snart, or are you losing?” Sara finally said after a long while.

He dropped a run of cards and sighed. “I didn’t know your dad was a cop.”

Sara looked up from her cards and raised an eyebrow at him. “Scared about being put behind bars?” she said jokingly.

Leonard scoffed and dropped his cards altogether, faced down. He took a gulp off of the beer the both of them shared and crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m not really a fan of the police, but not for reasons you think.”

“Then why?” Sara said, dropping her cards and folding her legs.

“My dad was a cop,” Leonard said as if it were a casual fact. “A corrupt one that is, so that’s one reason. Another reason is police brutality. Not from my father; that’s a different story. But from the cops that arrest me.”

His eyes went to hers and saw the worry in her eyes. She chose not to push for questions but her eyes are definitely questioning him. Leonard is relieved about it but at the same time, it’s something he’s allowing her to know. Something he knows she could handle.

“I’ve been beaten up, not fed, threatened, jailed for a sloppy theft I obviously did not commit. I got scars to prove them,” Leonard started enumerating the things on top of his mind.

He then saw Sara take a deep breath, hands rubbing her knees. Their card game was completely forgotten. She took the beer from his hand and drank from it, emptying the bottle.

“Not all of them are evil but still, I’m sorry,” she said faintly, not really sure if the man heard her. Well he did.

“Look,” Leonard said as he leaned towards Sara, “I enjoy seeing them frustrated as they try to find evidence to arrest me,  and I hate them to my core, but I also know they’re not all like that. I bet your father is one of the good cops.”

“He is,” Sara answered with a small smile. “It’s hard to see how a good cop like him could have an assassin daughter. I’m surprised he hasn’t put me behind bars yet.”

“Well now that we’re kinda friends, will you tell him not to arrest me the next time he sees me?” Leonard asked, picking up his cards from the floor and speaking once again with a drawl.

“And why in the world would you be seeing my father again?” Sara said, stretching her legs till it touches his outer thigh, falling back to their light-hearted conversation.

“Because he would miss half of his professional life if he’s never met the best thief of Central City,” he stated, dropping his last run, telling Sara that he won.

Sara groaned and gathered all of the cards to shuffle it again.

Before she could distribute them, Sara heard the thief mutter: “Besides, I’m looking forward to an invitation to a Lance family dinner.”


	13. Bad Fathers and Jealous Teammates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x13 Leviathan

“How was your date with Miss Savage?” Sara said as she dealt the cards. They proceeded directly at the cargo hold as soon as they changed into their normal clothes. A lot of things happened earlier that day and to be completely, Sara has been looking forward to this—just cards and cold beer and Snart.

“Not too bad,” Leonard replied, “not a dull moment. We had a lot in common. Both very attractive and both with asshole fathers.”

“She is hot,” Sara interrupted. “But the fact that she’s a Savage threw it off for me. How did she take part where her father is an asshole?”

“Not good, at first. She was in denial. Can’t blame Cassie. I was, too. I told you about Lewis. I used to believe that every time he transforms into a monster, it’s just because fathers have bad days. That maybe I was just a naughty boy. Then I realized some monsters are just monsters through and through,” Leonard replied, continuing the game between them.

“Well, you showed her that,” Sara said. “And now she’s working with rebels to restore what her father destroyed. That’s because of you. I’m surprised she didn’t kiss you and asked you to stay with her.”

“She did.”

That was supposed to be a joke. She was just kidding, teasing Leonard. Now she can’t make a move on the game and both her fists and her jaw are clenched with the idea of Leonard and Cassie. Sara wanted to be reasonable and breathe and move on, to continue with the conversation. There’s warmth on her chest and an unexplainable blur in her vision.

Sara wasn’t sure if Leonard could tell how she’s feeling on the inside but her thoughts were interrupted by his voice.

“Not kiss me, no. She asked me to stay with her and help the rebels,” Leonard said, looking at her intensely. “And it’s not on my plans to stay in the far future and be a hero.”

Sara let out a deep breath and gave a small smile. “Not even a beautiful blonde lady could place ‘hero’ on Captain Cold’s resumé, huh.”

Leonard scoffed as he picked up a card from the stack. “Maybe because she’s the wrong blonde.”

That made Sara look at him, eyes bright with surprise. She doesn’t want to assume, but—

“Don’t worry, Sara. If ever I’m getting a kiss from a blonde, it’s from you,” Snart said with a wink.

 _You could play this like a playful banter, or you could lean over and kiss him,_ Sara thought to herself. _We’ll have time. Not now._

“In your dreams,” she replied instead, keeping the smirk on her lips.

“Every night, Assassin. Every single night.”

Because now, just for a little while, they need to forget that Savage is inside the ship. Leonard needs to forget chaos in his gut feeling. Sara needs to forget that this mission is about to end, one way or another.


	14. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set on 1x14 River of Time

Sara sat on top of Snart’s bed, legs crossed, as he leaned on the side. They just landed in the Vanishing Point and are currently waiting for the verdict of the Time Masters as Rip brought Savage to face them. It’s been a chaotic day. A few hours ago, Ray forgot to think logically and did something, using Leonard’s words, incredibly stupid, allowing Savage to escape the brig and saunter around the Waverider. Leonard got to fight Savage and Sara got to fly the Waverider—that, for them, is a win. So of course, they celebrate with cards.

“Savage then said, ‘Vandal Savage. Destroyer of empires’. That’s lame, even for him,” Leonard said, retelling the story of how Mick, himself, Ray, and Kendra faced Savage as he roams the ship.

Sara laughed. “Oh please tell me you responded with something as corny.”

Repeating his line earlier, Leonard modulated his voice: “Leonard Snart. Robber of ATMs.”

Sara buried her head between her knees, shaking so hard from her attempt of not laughing out loud. “That’s so stupid!”

“True though.”

“Then you got knocked out,” Sara responded with a big grin on her face.

“Then I got knocked out.”

 

Sara has been avoiding with all her might to address what happened in Rip’s office earlier. She really is trying to, but with moments like this, she can’t help imagine how she would react and what she would be doing right now if Leonard and Mick’s plans of going back to Central City pushed through. In the end, she couldn’t resist.

“About earlier, when you told Rip you’d ditch him,” she began, “did you really mean it? Were you really going to leave m—the ship?”

 _Well, it’s about time this comes up_ , Leonard thought.

“He already placed Jax in danger,” he began. “And that’s Jax. Imagine how much more willing he’d be in sacrificing the thief and the arsonist. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with the fact that the professor saved Jax’s life. I just wanted to be on that jumpship, too. If I’m going to die, I’m not gonna die because a selfish bastard sold me out.”

“No one said anything about dying,” Sara replied.

“But do you really think we’ll all go back home safe?” Leonard retaliated. “Happily ever after?”

“I know things are gonna go wrong anytime but really, you’ll just leave like that?”

Leonard looked straight at her and said, “Things are going to go wrong, we both know that. And I don’t want to be here when it happens.”

“So you’ll leave. Without even saying goodbye to me?” Sara said, trying her best not to put any emotion in that statement.

Leonard took a deep breath. “When Mick and I talked it through, I was going to ask you to come, obviously. I knew this wouldn’t end well and as much as I don’t want to witness it unfold, I also don’t want Rip to have to sacrifice your life for whatever it is he needs to happen.”

Sara placed her cards on her lap, avoiding the man’s gaze.

He continued. “Then I overheard you telling Rip that you’re not one to run from a fight. You’re not easy to convince. It would be easier for you to convince me to stay than for me to convince to leave, so I didn’t. And I didn’t plan on saying goodbye to make things easier.”

“How is leaving me alone easier?” a rhetorical question from Sara.

“Because then I could I just imagine that you’re still flying in this goddamned ship instead of being captured by the Time Bastards. Or dead. But the timeship is gone so we both get to stay where we are and play cards and not worry about dying or seeing each other get hurt. Maybe.”

A charged stare-off happened between the two of them. Things are reaching its inevitable end. There are things Leonard wants to say, more that what he already implied in answering Sara’s question. On the other hand, there are things Sara wants to ask him—more than what she already asked.

But here’s the thing between the two of them: they always think they have more time. More time to admit things and confess and talk and literally anything other than play these stupid card games they use as an excuse to spend time together.

But the crook and the assassin are both idiots. So they waste more time.

“Who’s winning?” Leonard told her, trying to save both of them from having a certain conversation.

“I am, as usual.”

They went back to the cards, easing the tension and focusing on the game. That is, until Leonard heard a faint sound of marching boots stomping on the metal floor.

“Did you hear that?” Leonard said, turning his head towards the door.

“Don’t try to distract me,” Sara replied, pouting and strategizing her way into beating the crook.

Leonard didn’t make a move and kept his head towards the door, hearing the footsteps come closer to his room. “We need to find somewhere to hide.”

Sara sees him place his cards on the bed as he marched towards the door, placing his ear close to it.

“Why do we need to find somewhere to hide?”

“Alexa.”

“Well that answers nothing.”

Leonard tore the cards off of her and took her right hand. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“I know a way out,” Leonard said with a smirk. “Ready to get up close and personal with Captain Cold?”

Sara stood up, still clutching Leonard’s hand, ready to go wherever he goes. “Why do we always end in life or death situations?”

“Call it destiny.”


	15. Something More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set on 1x15 Destiny

They’re going back to the Vanishing Point.

In the whirlwind that happened, all Sara could remember was holding Leonard’s hand as they went down on the metal flooring that Len somehow managed to unscrew in under a minute. They walked and walked until Leonard was certain that above them is already Rip’s study. The only let go of each other’s hand because Leonard needs to hoist himself up to open the flooring.

Then Sara remembers the Cold Gun pointed directly at her.

No. The Cold Gun pointed shakily at her. Leonard never misses a shot. He’s as good a shot as her. Captain Cold never trembles. But there he is in front of her, his blue eyes gleaming at her, hands shaking, and his stance is off.

Opposite the gun is the twice-trained assassin. Usually calm even under situations like this one. But her vision is starting to blur, tears tempting to escape. He won’t do it. She knows that. But still.

Then came the memory of Gideon’s call. And their song. And the rescue.

All of them seem to fade to a blur to her.

All of them replaced by Leonard walking in her room just like he used to do any other day. Replaced by the way his hands fidget. Replaced by a talk of the future. And “me and you”. And being a hell of a thief.

Just as she began absorbing Leonard’s half-assed apology and his implied confession, they need to go back to the Vanishing Point.

 

Alexa.

Ever since Leonard explained that gut feel on their way to Rip’s study, it has never left her thoughts.

Alexa.

Something’s going to happen.

Alexa.

And for the first time since she’s stepped in this timeship, she decides that there’s no more time left.

So she passed by the galley and retrieved a bottle of beer, and went straight to Leonard’s room, where she knows the cards will be. The door is open so she invited herself in, and sat on the bed beside him.

“We need this,” she said, opening the beer and drinking some before she passes it on to Len. “Let me deal.”

He passed her the cards and Sara started alternating the cards between the two of them.

“This might be the last fight,” Sara said, opening the hand of cards she got but not really thinking about the game.

“Shut up, Sara,” Leonard pointedly replied. “We’ll go down there and kick ass like we always do. And then we’ll get back on this ship, save the world, and play cards all day long.”

“Just cards?” Sara asked, her voice void of any attempts of joking and replaced with sincerity.

So Leonard answered with the same honesty. “Or more.”

Sara smiled. “And finally you could go back to Central and go back to stealing.”

“Maybe I’ll steal that kiss.”

“Maybe you won’t need to steal it.”

 

And with that, the walls are down. Their feelings laid out in front of them, minus the actual words. But words aren’t needed, because they already know. Both of them do.

“I swear to God, Leonard. If you die out there, I’m going to revive you so I could kill you again,” Sara replied, finally allowing herself to take a deep breath.

“Oohh, sexy. Tell me more.”

 

Sara was sure that a little more push and she would’ve kissed the smug look off of his face already. But Gideon interrupted the moment to announce that they’ve landed.

Leonard hopped off his bed and grabbed the Cold Gun on his table to place it on his leg holster.

While all this was happening, Sara was just looking at him, memorizing how he moves.

Because at the back of her mind, a voice is screaming “ALEXA”.

She knows she doesn’t deserve anything good in this world, especially after being brought back to life. Sara thought that that was it. Resurrecting is the only thing she’ll get from the universe. But then she met Leonard—a man equally morally questionable as her, a man who thinks that the universe is playing games on him, too. And she thought that maybe, if she deserves all the bad things in life, that maybe she deserves a crook. That for some reason, she could actually claim that she deserves this. Him. That she deserves something more.

But the universe will always be unfair with Sara Lance. She knows deep down that fate will take this away from her eventually.

But not now. She’s been fighting many things, many people all her life.

If she has to fight to keep him safe, then she will. Whatever it takes.

 

“Ready to go, Assassin?”

“Always. Just don’t die out there, Snart.”

“I won’t.”

 

Alexa.


	16. Fear Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after 1x15 Destiny

 

 

Sara is lucky. Despite all the things that happened to her, she could still count the number of times she got lucky, from passing her classes to dodging bullets. She’s lucky to have a second chance in life. She’s lucky to have people who care for her. She’s lucky to find a purpose in life again after being brought back from the dead.

And goddamn, she’s lucky she actually listened to one of Ray’s science babbles about how an idiot could operate his ATOM suit.

 

Her chest is pounding so hard and her lungs are almost giving up. Her shoulders hurt from carrying Mick and her eyes sting from her tears. Because of course, just as the universe took away too much from her, it’ll take away Leonard too.

She could see Rip and Firestorm screaming at her, rushing her to come inside the hatch. She carelessly dropped Mick on the hatch and grabbed the miniaturized ATOM suit that Ray is faintly holding as he was leaning on the front hatch. She could’ve sworn that she felt a hand grab her arm to stop her from running back but she could hear nothing but a loud static ringing in her ear.

She ran as fast as she can, slapping the miniature suit to her chest and just let the suit tether to her. Sara felt the suit boost her up and the helmet cover her face. She entered the same room housing the Oculus and saw Druce and his men pointing guns towards the man whose arm is still elbow-deep inside the Oculus, blue light already visible, glowing from the inside.

She wasn’t sure how she got the ATOM suit to fly but she did. Hell, she did. The next thing she knew, she was tugging Leonard’s waist as the blue light blazed on Druce and his soldiers. All she knew was Leonard is clutching on to one of her arms and that they are about to slam on the wall of the cargo hold.

She’s lucky her teammates waited for them. She’s lucky she won’t get left behind. And god, she’s lucky she’s stupidly brave enough to come back for him. To come back to him.

Slamming her back to the metal wall is nothing. Ray getting mad at her for potentially damaging his suit is nothing. There’s a crook cradling his injured arm in front of her, smirking like he didn’t almost die.

“Couldn’t let me go, Assassin?”

 

Worth it.

\---

What followed after hearing Leonard’s words were a blur. She was sure that Ray removed the ATOM suit from her and carried her to the MedBay. Sara was also sure that he heard Mick curse Leonard before hearing a body slam to the floor. With regards to who it was, she’s pretty sure it was Leonard. She remembered laughing, then hearing Gideon tell her that she needs to rest.

Sara woke up to the sound of cards shuffling and a feeling of warmth beside her.

“I told you we’re going to come back in this ship and play cards again,” Sara heard Leonard said as she opened her eyes.

She kept looking at him, trying to make all else in the room fade out and except for him. Leonard was sitting right beside her, space void between them. She slowly leans her head on Leonard’s arm and not once did she felt him twitch.

“Too tall,” Sara replied as she closed her eyes to let the moment stir for a little.

Without being asked, Leonard adjusted the way he is seated until Sara’s head is at the same level as his shoulder. “What you did was stupid,” Len finally said.

“But it saved you,” was the only response Sara had. If she weren’t as lucky as she was, she could be in this room grieving for him. She looped his arm on his uninjured one, and then held on to his hand as if it were her lifeline.

She felt him nod. “It saved me,” Len replied. “I was so convinced I was gonna die. You and Mick were safe”, he said as he squeezed her hand, “and I already said my supposedly last words. And then you flew in. Like I’ve said, you can’t just let me go, can you?”

Leonard said his last sentence with a hint of humor, giving Sara a way out of another serious conversation. The way she kissed him before she carried Mick away felt more of a goodbye than anything else. He didn’t want to assume that Sara’s in the same place that he is. He wants to forget it, even.

But the way she’s holding his hand, and the comfort of the weight of her head on his shoulders says otherwise.

“Twice, Leonard. I almost lost you twice,” Sara began again. “First when the ship left us for two years when I thought you all died, and this one. If one of us goes or dies, the other would die of insanity, remember that. We can’t handle this circus without the other.”

Snart turned towards her and saw her looking at him, too. “I can’t handle this without you.”

“Of course you can,” he said in a gentle whisper, as if there are people around and he’s afraid to let them in their little bubble.

“Well I can,” Sara answered, whispering back. “But I don’t want to.”

Leonard planted a kiss on her temples and Sara was, to say the least, disappointed. After a save like that, she deserves a good kiss! A real one! Not a depressing ‘goodbye, sorry you’re gonna die’ kiss!

“I think you missed.” Sara said, eyes narrowed.

Len laughed and angled his body towards her, careful not to move his injured arm that much. “Remember our first night here in the Waverider?”

“I barged in your room carrying M&Ms and cards,” Sara laughed at the memory and slowly moving closer to the man than as was before. “And in the middle of the game you told me to stop flirting with you.”

“And you still are,” the crook teased, earning him a poke on his side from the giggling assassin. “No, but you told me that maybe I’ll find someone while on this…journey.”

“Then you told me that maybe it’s me,” Sara replied, still grinning from the recollection.

“Maybe it is you.”

 

To say that Sara was shocked was an understatement.

She was stunned.

After all this time—all the jokes and the flirtings and the heated stares, the little touches and the whispers, and the loud confessions that weren’t spoken—this was it.

“What I said in your room after I pulled a gun on you…” Leonard started, looking down at their joint hands, afraid of her letting go.

But his thoughts were cut by her words. “I want it too. I want to try this out,” Sara said, kissing his shoulder. “But I also want us to take our time. I don’t want to rush things and screw this up because if what we potentially have is for the long run, then I want to do it the right way.”

“Where I’m not a deceitful thief and you’re not an emotionless assassin,” Leonard replied, completely understanding what she means.

“Where we’re just Leonard and Sara,” she said. “Just…”

 

And then she knew she’d never have to wait again. Leonard’s lips crashed on to hers, taking her breath away. Sara was pretty sure she made a noise as Len groaned eagerly as a response. She turned her body towards him, straightening up the way she’s sitting to cradle his face with both her hands. Leonard’s good hand crept to the back of her neck to pull her close, not caring if they lose air. His kiss went deeper as Sara adjusted her position to sit on his lap.

“Ow, my lip,” Sara giggled after Leonard tugged her lips in the middle of the kiss.

“Sorry,” he said and replaced the ferocity with light kisses.

This kiss, Sara thinks, paid for all the moments they could have kissed but didn’t. This paid for all the waiting and the holding back because now she’s drowning and for the first time in forever, she’s willing.

“Watch the hand,” Leonard breathlessly said in between kisses.

Sara pushed away from him with a smirk on her face. “So you’re telling me that Gideon can regenerate a hand but not heal a bruised one?”

“Well, she can,” Leonard defended. “I just got busy.”

“Flirting with me?”

“Flirting with you.”

 

Deciding that they deserve a time to catch their breath, Sara let her forehead rest on his and closed her eyes. She can feel Leonard’s hand move from her nape to her lower back.

She’s taking everything in, from the memory of seeing Leonard ready to explode with the Oculus to the look on his face upon hearing her say that she’s on the same page that he is with regarding what the future might hold for them, to this amazing kiss.

“Len,” she began.

And somehow, even with their eyes closed, Sara knew he’s smirking.

“I know,” he replied.

Because of course, he did. As does she.


	17. And To Forever Be With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> forever and ever and ever and ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during and after 1x16 Legendary
> 
> Sorry this last chapter took so long. A part of me didn't want this to end. Another part of of me didn't know what to do. Writing this has been a joy. I hope it brought joy to its readers as well. Time to close this one for now <3

It has been one hell of a month after Sara saved Leonard from the Oculus. After their stint at the Vanishing Point, the ship’s captain decided for himself that it is best to return the Legends back to their present. The Hawks were still nowhere to be found and the team is evidently exhausted from spending months (years for some), trying to kill the immortal tyrant.

 

The team wasn’t planning on disbanding anytime soon but they were left with no choice when Rip used a holographic image to tell them to go their separate ways. With nothing to use to call back the ship, they half-heartedly walked away from the vacant lot that the Waverider used as a landing strip, each one silently separating from the group.

Sara and Leonard were left behind the crew, walking slow but close together.

“So, what’s your plan? Off to Central?” Sara asked silently, holding her breath for the answer of the man beside her.

“Maybe. Eventually,” he replied. “How about I join you for the mean time? I have no heists on schedule; maybe you could tour me around your city?”

The thought of spending the day only with Leonard lit up Sara’s face. Sure, it was disappointing to be left by the ship once again. Being part of the crew gave her a sense of purpose, especially after coming back to life and battling her bloodlust. But if not being on the Waverider means having to spend more time with her favorite person, then it might just be worth it.

“Sure,” she replied, taking his hand. “I’ve got to show my face to the Arrow crew, first. Let’s give them a surprise.”

It wasn’t the surprise they were expecting. Leonard was at the back of the room as Sara rushed towards her father’s side. The look at the man’s eyes told him that something’s not right. Something about the father’s look convinced him to walk closer to Sara and to be right behind her.

Her sister died a few months ago.

 

Not long after being brought back to the present, the ship came back. Leonard saw the tip of the knife peeking out of Sara’s sleeve before she pressed it to Rip’s throat. He was there to catch her when she fell. He was able to use his sharp tongue to threaten their captain with unspeakable things before bringing the woman to her room.

Leonard was holding Sara’s hand when Rip explained why they couldn’t go back for Laurel. The crook and the assassin spent the rest of the evening in silence, holding each other and never letting go. Snart is new to this. He’s not used to handling emotions of other people. But there’s no way in hell he’s leaving Sara to grieve on her own.

 

She puts all her anger, all her pent-up energy in her desire to end Savage once and for all. If she can’t help her sister, maybe she can save her friends. Maybe she can save the world. Three times, they killed Savage. All of them were spread across time. They were divided in groups to finally put the tyrant to the grave.

She landed the final blow to the Savage of the time assigned to her. Firestorm and Leonard were by her side. Leonard gave her this one, knowing she needed this. She needed an outlet to release everything. With Savage’s limp body dropping to the ground, Sara immediately turned around to face Len, who luckily just got rid of the armed enemy surrounding them.

“It’s done,” Sara said. “It’s over.”

Leonard tried his best to control his feet from rushing towards her, hugging her, and lifting her up. Thankfully, before he can even do this, Sara is running towards him with a small smile on her face. She stopped just in front of him and placed her arms behind his neck.

“And we made it alive,” Leonard whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.

“Yes, we did.”

They sealed the conversation with a kiss, much to Firestorm’s smug look.

The next time the crook and the assassin picked up their deck of cards, they were up in the temporal zone with a few hours to spare. The looming thought of her sister’s death still crosses Sara’s mind. At times like those, her eyes would find Len’s and the promise of a future together comforts her.

“You can’t keep letting me win, Len,” Sara spoke after her fourth win. “Bring that ace up your sleeve now.”

Leonard smirked and handed her a new bottle of beer. “Alright. Another round. Give me your best shot, assassin.”

Sara smiled sweetly, eyes twinkling from unshed tears. “You were right, you know?”

“I always am,” Len swiftly said. But then he looked up at her and added, “But what am I right about this time?”

She placed down the cards she was shuffling and replaced them with his hands. “Before going to the Vanishing Point. You said, that we’ll go there and kick ass, and then we’ll go back here and save the world. And play cards all day long.”

“I could think of other things for us to do all day long,” he whispered and got lightly punched on the arm.

“I’m serious,” she chuckled.

“I know,” he said, holding her hand tighter. “What I don’t know is how long we can have quiet hours like this and I’m just glad we can have this.”

His honest words brought her eyes to her face. “Me, too. Despite everything…me, too.”

Leonard, without hesitation, closed the spaces between their lips and poured out his heart. Fully knowing that Sara also poured out hers.

 

Leonard and Sara have never been the best with feelings. They use their words as pointy as they can, if possible, using it as another wall between them and other people. They have a long way to go, the crook and the assassin. With the new relationship they’ve established and are currently exploring, it’s safe to say that they’ll have more talks, more kisses, more game of cards.

They’ve always found comfort in each other. For Sara, Leonard has always been a mystery—a book she can’t wait to open every page and get lost in. And over time, she did. She got lost in his eyes, in every comforting touch. And now she knows she’s never gonna lose herself again, for she had him.

And Leonard, who has avoided dealing with feelings his whole life, found himself willing to try. To open himself up. To fully trust into someone, putting his heart out in the open, giving Sara the power to destroy him. But with every card game, every story, every brick being stripped off of the wall he built his entire life, he learned that sometimes, it is worth giving your everything. And she’s worth it.

 

_“That was one hell of a kiss,” Sara whispered, placing small kisses on his face._

_“From one hell of a thief?” Leonard asked._

_The beautiful blonde smiled and nodded._

_Speaking once again, her voice was heard. “Me and you, Len. Alright?”_

_“Me and you.”_


End file.
